


Broken Hearts

by canicallyoumaddie



Series: Before We Were Us (A Domestic Klance sub-series) [4]
Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Angst, I'm Sorry, Insecurity, Like Lots, M/M, Prequel Series, Self-Esteem Issues, Violent Outbursts, apologies are sorely needed, klance, no happy ending (yet)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-08
Updated: 2017-07-06
Packaged: 2018-10-29 17:27:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 4,342
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10858668
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/canicallyoumaddie/pseuds/canicallyoumaddie
Summary: Keith realizes that he's not as important to Lance as he thought.





	1. The Road to El Dorado

**Author's Note:**

> HOO BOI get ready for the angst. I'm sorry in advance. Thanks to the suffer pit, I was given the idea to incorporate one of the themes from the movie "The Road to El Dorado", and now you all get to suffer. I'm sorry. I project on Keith way too much, what can I say.

Keith sat on his couch, checking his phone compulsively.  _ Still nothing, _ he thought, biting his lip. Lance was fifteen, approaching twenty minutes late and he had a sick feeling in his gut.  _ Should I text him and make sure he’s still coming over? _ He thought, fingers hovering over the keyboard. He decided to take a chance and message him, just to be on the safe side. 

 

\-----------------

**< Lance McClain>**

7:48 pm

 

_ <hey, are you still coming? _

\-----------------

 

He stared at the screen, pulse quickening as the three little dots popped up, indicating Lance was typing. 

 

\----------------

**> omG i’m sooooo sorry I totally forgot to tell you**

**> you know that girl from class**

**> nyma**

**> she’s like super hot and blonde and tall **

**> okay, well you don’t care what she looks like, but like sHE talkED TO mE TODAY**

**> we’re having coffee right now.**

**>...rain check?**

_ <...yeah, i guess. _

_ <catch you later, then. _

\-----------------

 

Keith sat with his phone loosely sitting in his hands, eyes wide as he stared down at Lance’s messages.  _ Oh,  _ he thought. He felt something in his chest tighten and twist, like someone had grabbed his heart and  _ yanked _ . The phone clattered to the floor, jolting him out of his thoughts, and he noticed that his hands were shaking. 

 

“So much for that,” he said, voice cracking a little from disuse. “I guess I won’t be sharing my feelings anytime soon.” 

 

It was a  _ big deal _ when Keith got a crush on someone. 

 

It didn’t happen often, and it didn’t usually happen until he’d been friends with the person for a  _ long  _ time. With Lance, it was no different; except when he was around Lance, he got more butterflies than usual. He couldn’t help but smile when he saw him, and his day would instantly get better when Lance walked through the door. He realized that he had a crush when he started getting jealous of Lance’s time. So much so, that Pidge had to tell him to cool it. She  _ never  _ had to tell him to cool it. But Keith had never felt that way about someone before. Ever. It scared him; he had just begun to open up enough to be  _ friends _ with Lance, but entertaining the possibility of  _ more? _ Terrifying. This was brand new territory, but he had at least thought Lance might have felt the same way.

 

They spent most of their time together those days. Keith would go hang out with Lance and Hunk at their place, Lance would hang out with Keith at his, Lance and Keith would sit  _ really  _ close together and watch scary movies—he could have sworn Lance’s hand brushed his a couple of times one night—it was almost as if they both recognized something was there, but never bothered to bring it to the surface. 

 

The passing glances Lance sent him; the blinding smiles…

 

Keith thought—

 

Well, he thought that Lance shared his feelings. 

 

But now, as his eyes never left his phone—now on the floor—he realized just how wrong he was. Lance didn’t want to be with him; not more than he wanted to be with anybody else. Keith was just a buddy to him, a good pal. Not someone he would stay up for hours with, venting about how his sister Jo  _ won’t stop bothering  _ him about how long he would take to get ready in the morning. Keith furrowed his eyebrows.  _ But...was I just reading him wrong? Did I make a huge mistake, and misread everything he did and said to me for the past year? _ He couldn’t have, right? There had to be something…

 

But there wasn’t. Lance had blown him off for a girl.  _ Of course,  _ he thought bitterly,  _ he said so himself, that he’d always imagined himself with a girl. No matter how many guys he may have crushed on _ . Maybe that’s why it was so heartbreaking. Because deep down, Keith  _ knew _ he shouldn’t have hoped something would happen. Hoping just made the let-down harder to swallow. 

 

“I’m not good enough for him, anyway,” Keith said to himself. “He’s so charismatic, and already happy. I’m not. I’m boring and sad, chock full of anger and abandonment issues.” He’d confided so much in Lance; maybe after seeing Keith’s true self, he didn’t want him anymore. Maybe that’s why he didn’t want to be with him. Because he knew Keith was broken, and didn’t have the energy to deal with it. Who could blame him? It was like trying to keep a kite tethered to the ground; Lance could only go so far with Keith dragging him down. Maybe today was just the day that Lance realized he could find someone better to spend his time with. 

 

Keith hadn’t noticed the tears that started to fall until he saw the water spots on his jeans. He reached up and wiped a sleeve over his eyes, sniffing. “God, get a grip,” he mumbled angrily, reaching down to grab his phone.  _ I guess I’ll just spend tonight alone, then. Again.  _ This was better for Lance, anyway. He would only poison the happiness Lance deserved to have. Maybe it was a blessing that Lance bailed; now he wouldn’t have the urge to confess to Lance. Ever again.

  
He lay on the couch with his arm over his eyes, dreading the inevitable follow-up text from Lance that would tell him how he’d scored with Nyma; that he was seeing her again. 


	2. Not All That Glitters Is Gold

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> To Keith's surprise, Lance showed up after all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Since "El Dorado" messed me up so bad, I wanted to do a little conflict resolution. Lance really isn't an asshole—he just is a little clueless sometimes. I hope you all enjoy! Sorry it _still_ isn't totally resolved; that's mostly for "How Things Started" to explore.

“Keith, you're never gonna believe this,” Lance said as he pushed his way into Keith’s apartment. “Sorry, the door was unlocked so I…wait, are you okay?” He asked after spotting Keith laying on the sofa, arm over his eyes. 

“I thought you were with Nyma,” Keith said bitterly. “Why did you even come over?” He moved his arm and sat upright, giving Lance a cold stare. 

“I felt really shitty about bailing on you, so I left…” Lance said, wilting under Keith's harsh gaze. “Are you mad at me? If you don’t want me here, I can just leave, you know.” He turned toward the door. 

Keith's face dropped, and he stretched out an arm in Lance’s direction. “Wait, Lance, please don't leave.”

Lance met his eyes, noticing they were shiny and red. He wordlessly sat in the armchair next to the couch, giving Keith plenty of space. 

“What happened?” Keith asked, dreading Lance’s response. 

Lance’s eyes lit up. “ _ Oh!  _ Right! So Nyma and I went to coffee, and we realized we have a lot in common. It was crazy—she actually wanted to talk to me about starting a 'History of LGBTQ+ in Journalism' club. She'd read some of the stuff I'd submitted to the newsletter and thought I'd be interested,” he said, and Keith’s heart started to race.

_ What do you mean? Does that mean…? _ He thought frantically, and tried to keep his voice steady when he asked, “Oh really?” 

Lance laughed and replied, “Yeah, I found out she's  _ super  _ gay. But I'm honestly...not disappointed? She's cool, and I'm actually really interested in starting that club, so I think she and I would get on well as friends.” He shrugged. “No skin off my nose.”

Keith tried his hardest not to black out from sheer relief. He knew that he was just being jealous and paranoid earlier, but that didn't make his feelings any less stressful. “So...what now?” He asked apprehensively. 

“What do you mean? Life resumes, the world turns, and that's that,” Lance said, giving Keith a strange look. “Were you... _ upset _ that I was hanging out with a girl?”

Keith flushed and stuttered, “N-No, I wasn't  _ upset  _ that you were with a  _ girl _ . I was  _ upset  _ that you bailed on me.” He crossed his arms and refused to meet Lance’s eyes. “We’d planned this for a week and then it seemed like you didn't care enough to spend time with me after all.”

Lance stared at him in confusion. “Why would you think I didn't care about you?”

“ _ Because _ , Lance!” Keith threw up his hands in frustration. “Every time you see _anyone_ pretty, you completely forget I exist! All our plans go out the window! I'm not asking to be your number one priority, but I'd like to at least be on the  _ list _ !” He was red in the face, and he felt tears prickling at the edges of his eyes. He willed them not to fall. 

“ _ What? _ Keith, what the hell? How can you say that? I spend  _ all _ of my time with you!” Lance replied, also becoming frustrated. “Are you really  _ that _ paranoid and insecure that you're afraid I'll stop hanging out with you?” Keith just stared at him, and Lance heard a sharp intake of breath. “Wait, Keith…”

“No, no I get it, Lance. I am paranoid. I am insecure. You nailed it. Thank you for once again pointing out how unworthy I am of anyone's attention. Even my best friend’s,” Keith snapped. “Just please use your brain every once in awhile and realize that not everything is about you.” 

Lance lowered his gaze to his hands. “I'm sorry for saying that. You are important to me, and I'm sorry for blowing you off. I got excited, that's all. You know I don't get much positive attention, anyway, so it was a big deal to me. I  _ hoped  _ you'd be happy for me. Not that it matters anymore, in light of what actually happened, but still.” Lance sighed, and continued. “I hope that you can forgive me. I will try to do better in the future. You are definitely worth my time. I'm sorry for being insensitive to how you felt.” 

Keith rubbed at his puffy eyes and sighed heavily. “Look, Lance, I don't care what you do. If you want to go out with someone, go out with someone—just don't do it when you have obligations elsewhere. That's all I want.” He twisted the ring on his right hand.  _ Liar, _ his conscience chided. 

Lance leaned back in the chair and closed his eyes. After a moment, he replied, “Okay. Point taken.” 

“Thanks.” 

Keith watched Lance as he got up from the chair and twisted, popping his back. He tried not to stare at the sliver of skin that appeared when Lance’s shirt rode up from the movement. Thankfully, Lance didn't notice either way. “I'm gonna go, then,” Lance said, “I don't know what else to say, except I'm sorry.”

Keith buried his face in his hands. “Okay. I accept your apology, Lance. It just hurt my feelings. I'll be fine, I promise.” He could feel Lance’s eyes on him, but he didn't look up. He heard Lance’s uneven gait as he disappeared out the door, closing it behind him. When Keith looked up from his hands, his cheeks were wet with tears again. He groaned, smashing a pillow into his face. 

_ I just told the most sensitive, selfless person I know _ _that I thought he was_ selfish. _ Am I an asshole or what,  _ he thought.  _ At least he doesn't suspect anything.  _ He bit his lip, almost drawing blood.  _ I  _ have  _ to move on. Before I ruin this friendship completely and lose him for good.  _

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> One of the reasons this whole scenario is so painful to me, and why I think the apology scene is so, so important, is because I experienced something similar. Except...I was the bad guy in that situation. I wanted Keith to explain that his anger and frustration and hurt came from his fear of _abandonment_ , not that he was afraid Lance would leave him for a girl. He's just afraid that if Lance enters a relationship, he'll lose his best friend; or worse, that Lance will find someone he likes better (guy _or_ girl) and abandon him.
> 
> I thought that this apology was important because Keith needed to realize that his pain was rooted in insecurity, like mine was.


	3. Gold Rush

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After leaving Keith's place, Lance is processing what just happened between them. The results are not pretty.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ahhhh. So as you can probably tell, this has now turned into a multi-chapter fic because it makes more sense that way. I have at least two more fics planned for this- I know that it is _far_ from resolved at this point, but I promise it'll get at least to a neutral resolution.
> 
> Thank you zizzani for looking over this for me!! <3

Lance walked into his apartment and dropped his keys into the basket by the door. In a daze, he glanced around for any sign of Hunk. There was none. He dragged himself to his bedroom and closed the door behind him, choosing to leave the light off as he took a seat in the darkness. 

 

_ You realize he never really apologized, right? _ A thought, unbidden and unwelcome, darted through his head. He groaned. “Wow, Lance, you’re played for a fool once again,” he said to himself, laying on his back, staring into the inky space of his room. “Who knew? You just walked off without a fight.” He sighed.  _ He was so distraught, I...I didn’t even consider myself,  _ he thought.  _ What is wrong with me? _

 

He groaned, feeling himself getting angry. “Why couldn’t he just be  _ happy  _ for me? No one  _ ever  _ shows interest in me—but he decides that  _ I’m _ the bad guy? Yeah, sure, I shouldn’t have bailed on him—that was a dick move, but cut me some slack, man! I drop  _ everything _ for him if he needs me. He  _ knows  _ that. He  _ also _ knows me well enough to manipulate me, which is  _ infuriating! _ ” He ripped the pillow from his bed and threw it across the room. “He  _ knows _ I’ll place his happiness over mine. He  _ knows,  _ and he  _ takes advantage _ of me!” He was yelling into the void, now, ignoring the crash his pillow made when it hit his dresser. A lamp is a small casualty in the long run. 

 

He abruptly grew silent when he heard a knock on his door. “Lance? Can I come in?”

 

“Yeah,” he replied, walking over to flip on the overhead light. Hissing at the brightness and cracking the door, he blinked and squinted at his roommate. “What’s up.”

 

“You were, uh, screaming?” Hunk said, looking very concerned. “Are you okay?” 

 

Lance snorted. “Am I okay? I’m great, Hunk— just swell. I just got screamed at by Keith, who is mad at me for having a social life, and was told I was  _ selfish _ . That I made him feel  _ unimportant _ .”

 

Hunk raised an eyebrow. “Wow, so you’re very  _ not _ okay.”

 

“What gave it away?” Lance snapped. Gathering himself, he apologized. “I’m sorry. I’m just angry, and feel like he blew things way out of proportion.” Taking a deep breath, he returned to his place on the bed. “But what am I supposed to do, Hunk? I love the guy—he’s my second-best friend, and I want him to be happy, but am I not allowed to live at least a  _ little _ ?”

 

Hunk joined him on the edge of the bed and put a chin in his hand. “I think you need to talk to him about this more, Lance. You know it’ll rip you apart if you don’t.”

 

Lance nodded, dejected, and put his head in his hands. “Hunk, I don’t know what I did to make him  _ this  _ upset. I couldn’t have just...I didn’t...Do I really ditch him for people that often?” 

 

Hunk put a hand on Lance’s back and sighed. “No, you don’t. You don’t ditch any of us. I honestly don’t think it was anything you did.”

 

Lance looked up and raised an eyebrow. “What?” He asked. 

 

“Lance, I think...I think he wants to  be  more than a best friend to you. I may be wrong, but...I’ve seen the way he looks at you, and him just  _ freaking out _ at you for something as small as that is...odd. Not that he’s not volatile, but…” Hunk said, trailing off into thought. He returned his chin to his hand and leaned deeper into the pose. “Did he give any other explanation?” 

 

“What do you think?” Lance asked, twisting his face into a grimace. 

 

“I’m taking that as a  _ no _ . And let me guess, you did all the apologizing. Because that’s what you do.” He sighed. “I’m just surprised you did that with  _ Keith, _ ” Hunk said. 

 

“No kidding,” Lance replied, shifting back onto his arms, “I don’t know what came over me. Usually I’d get in his face and tell him to back off, but...something in his expression this time...it was different. He looked  _ so _ hurt, Hunk. I can’t get his expression out of my head.” 

 

Hunk flopped backward onto the bed. “I dunno, man. He’s afraid of people leaving him—maybe he just thought you would abandon him if you got into a relationship with someone else.” 

 

Lance chewed his lip. “Yeah, I mean, based on what he  _ said _ I’d say you were right, but there’s something else.”

 

Hunk furrowed his eyebrows. “Like what?”

 

“Like...he was relieved when I told him Nyma wasn’t interested, but the minute I confronted him about his reason for getting upset in the first place, he just lost it. He made me sound like the bad guy—like I had committed this terrible act of treason against him,” Lance replied, puzzling through the details. “He was  _ so upset _ that I bailed on him  _ one time _ . We had plans, sure, and yeah, okay—maybe I was being selfish for once in my life. But this time, he just...I was shocked into silence. Hunk, he  _ chastised  _ me.”

 

Hunk sucked in a breath. “That’s a more than a little strange… My opinion stays the same—I would say there’s like, a ninety-percent chance he’s interested in you,” Hunk replied. 

 

“What am I supposed to do, now?” Lance moaned, collapsing onto the floor.

 

“Well, what do you  _ want _ to happen?” Hunk asked. 

 

Lance looked up at him, squinting at the direct light. “I don’t know. I really like him, but...I don’t know. I need time to even process this. I never dreamed that we’d fight over something  _ this _ ridiculous.”

 

At that moment, his phone went off. Lance pulled it from his pocket and stared at the screen. 

 

“It’s Keith.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Again thank you for your comments and kudos!!! (I have your comments from Not All That Glitters[...] saved to my email; unfortunately they're deleted off ao3 but I am so glad I get to keep them in my inbox somewhere!)


	4. We Went Searching For Gold

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Keith realizes the gravity of what he's just done.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! Thank you for your readership- I know I've kind of disappeared for a while because school got super overwhelming and in my free time I've been focusing on art and my Big Bang piece, but here's the latest chapter! It's kind of a filler...piece? Sorta? I'm basically building up to the last chapter that will have all the feels.

Keith sat on his couch, pillow still over his face. _I’m such an idiot,_ he thought. Now that the shroud covering his thoughts had lifted, he was able to fully grasp what he’d just done. He was mortified.

Lance would drop anything if his friends needed him; especially Keith. They’d gotten off to a rocky start, sure, but...they were close now. He’d gotten to the point where he needed Lance in his life…

And he’d just lashed out at Lance for something that wasn’t really even his fault.

Lance didn’t know Keith liked him. He didn’t know that Keith was terrified Lance would leave. Lance had been a jerk for bailing, sure, but he was happy, and he wanted to share that with Keith. And Keith was so desperately clinging to Lance, never noticing that he was driving a wedge between them.

He was the selfish one, not Lance.

This further solidified Keith’s resolve to stay silent about his romantic feelings and move on, but also made him realize that he owed Lance an apology. Not just one apology—hundreds. Lance saw things others didn’t. He had apologized when he didn’t need to, because he knew what Keith needed to hear. He’d seen that Keith was hurting, and had moved to fix that however he could. It was painful to realize: Lance was far from selfish. He’d put Keith above himself, again, so Keith would be mollified. To try and smooth things over as well as he could. Keith realized how much Lance had matured since they first met. Sure, he still would get in his face and challenge him, but deep down, Lance was hardwired to be altruistic. It was one of the things that made him uniquely... _Lance_. Keith had taken advantage of his giving nature and forced him to pander.

With that realization, Keith felt sick to his stomach. _How could I do that to him?_ He thought. _I don’t deserve to even be friends with him._

Keith had broken his spirit with a glance, and kept beating the shards long past their expiration.

His fingers flew over his phone keyboard as he texted Lance. Typing, deleting; typing, deleting.

 

**< Lance McClain>**

< _can we talk_

(...)

(...)

(...)

>We just did.

 

Keith scoffed, realizing how stupid he must have sounded.

 

< _can we talk again?_  
>I can't imagine why you'd need to do that.  
< _Lance…_  
>what, Keith?  
>it's been a long day and I really don't want to get yelled at again.  
< _it's about that…_  
< _I am so sorry._  
> …  
> k cool w/e

Keith hardly recognized this Lance on the other side of the phone. Well, he did and he didn't. He was used to Lance being aggressive with him, but after how meek he’d been moments earlier, it was a huge change.

 _He must have decided I'm not worth his time for real..._ Keith thought. _I'm an idiot. I just ended up pushing him away, anyway._

He only realized that he was moving when he reached the door. Yanking it open, he grabbed his keys and sped down the steps, shoes forgotten.

Wrenching the car door nearly off its hinges, he threw himself inside and started the car. He prayed that Lance was at home and drove the short distance to his apartment. Thankfully the guest spot near their building was free, and he practically leapt up the three flights of stairs to their door.

It took a Herculean effort to keep from kicking down the door, but he forced himself to keep his cool as he knocked. He heard someone fumble with the lock and he braced himself.

He felt both relieved and increasingly anxious when it was Hunk who answered, not Lance. He felt Hunk’s eyes boring into him. Hunk crossed his arms and asked, “What are you doing here, Keith?”

“Can I speak to Lance?” Keith said breathlessly, winded from climbing.

“I don't know, can you?” Lance said.

They stopped short in front of each other, locking eyes. Lance crossed his arms and raised his eyebrows expectantly.

Keith took a deep breath and exhaled, clenching his fists.

“I’m sorry.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you again for commenting and leaving kudos! It is so encouraging and I love seeing what you guys have to say about my writing! <3 lots of love and appreciation!
> 
> Hopefully I can update my au soon- I started another one and I just am getting myself into trouble at this point lmao.


	5. But All We Found Was Pyrite

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Keith and Lance have a much-needed conversation, even though it's not a completely honest one.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AHH DOUBLE UPDATE!
> 
> Finally _god_ took me long enough to actually finish writing these. I literally had them both sitting in Google Docs waiting to be edited and published like an amateur- RIP. But here is the long-awaited sort of resolution! It's not exactly happy, but it was needed. It's another chapter in their story: you know they get together at the end, but they're kind of morons and need a lot of prodding to get there.

Lance blinked at him. Keith swallowed hard and repeated himself, “I’m sorry, Lance. I’m _so_  sorry.”

Lance sighed, breaking their eye contact to fix his gaze on the ground in front of him. He remained silent, so Keith continued. Stepping forward, he cleared his throat. “Lance, I...I was horrible to you. I assumed things about you that would never be close to true. You are an amazing person, and an even more amazing friend. How...How dare I ever say otherwise?” Keith swallowed back his tears and kept talking. “I lashed out because I’m insecure. I was afraid that if you found someone—anyone—you would abandon me. I wouldn’t be a part of your life anymore, because you had someone else. I realize now that I was being irrational. I was so paranoid, and afraid, that I took it out on you.”

Lance had turned his eyes back to Keith’s face, and they cut through his soul like a knife. Keith eyes raked Lance’s face, but Lance remained impassive. After a moment, Lance chose to respond.

“I do _so much_ for you, Keith. _How_ can you still not see that? I have _never_ given any indication that I would abandon you if I started dating someone. Have I?” He said, voice hoarse.

Keith shook his head. “Okay, then,” Lance said. “Then what the _hell_?”

Keith felt pressure start to build in his chest, but he shoved it down as far as he could. _I'm not going to tell him, no matter what,_  he thought, furrowing his eyebrows. “You have been patient with me to no end. I’m shocked, and honestly, horrified by my behavior. I don’t deserve to have someone like you as a friend, but I am _so_ grateful that you are.” He locked eyes once more with Lance. “Please forgive me.”

Lance’s lips formed a thin line, but after a moment, his face relaxed. “Keith, I don’t know what’s going on with you, but you know you can talk to me, right?” Keith nodded, expression darkening. “Keith, you can trust me. I think I’ve proven that, haven’t I?”

Keith blinked hard, and he nodded again. “Then _trust me_. Trust me when I say I am here for you, and trust me when I say that I’m not going anywhere,” Lance replied, reaching out to him. Keith stepped into the hug and let out a watery sigh. They stood like that for a moment until Lance released him and gave him a small smile. “I can’t be mad at you for too long, man. I know you weren’t all there when you said that stuff.” His hands remained on Keith’s shoulders for a beat.

Keith shook his head, “No, but that’s not an excuse. I still shouldn’t have—”

“—Keith.” Lance cut him off. “Let’s just...move on, okay?” He shot him a half-hearted finger gun, and Keith nearly let out a sob. “Thank you for apologizing, though. It means a lot.” Lance’s eyes still held an undertone of hurt, but he had already tried to slip back into his easygoing persona. It was heartbreaking.

“Keith,” Lance said, bringing Keith back to reality. Lance grinned at him, smile _just_ reaching his eyes, and shrugged. “This is just a speed bump. We’ll be fine.” He stepped to the side of the doorway. “Do you want to come in?”

Keith paused, mind reeling. _Of course I want to come in, dummy_ , he thought, _I just...I can’t do it today. I still need time_. He gave his best attempt at a smile and shook his head slightly. “No, thanks, man. I think I should go home and take a nap—I feel like I just ran a marathon.”

Lance’s face fell for a moment, then almost immediately bounced back to it’s natural, perky state. “Oh, no problem, dude. I gotcha’. Well, hey, thanks again for coming by, okay? Water under the bridge,” he replied, gently punching Keith in the shoulder.

“Yeah, water under the bridge…” Keith repeated, lips pressed together. “I...I better go. Again, I’m really sorry, Lance. Thank you for being so understanding. Really.”

Lance waved him off, flashing him his signature grin. “ _Stop apologizing_ , seriously, or I’ll tell Shiro you’re beating yourself up again. Or better yet—I’ll tell Pidge.” He laughed at the flash of fear in Keith’s eyes, and Keith felt himself being pulled into another brief hug. “We’re fine, Keith—I promise,” Lance whispered.

Keith nodded, pulled away, and waved as he headed back down the stairs, firm in his resolve to keep his feelings hidden for the foreseeable future. Despite that saddening realization, he felt tonnes lighter; like the weight of the world had been lifted off his chest. _I really don’t deserve him,_ he thought, climbing into his car.

Once he had pulled onto the main street, out of view, he wiped his eyes with a sleeve.

“Thank you, Lance.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for sticking with me! Again, this whole story was kind of an emotional catharsis for me, since it reflects a really painful experience I had. I hope that it is not only relatable, but also that this chapter kind of wraps up their first brush with feelings for each other.
> 
> If you liked this fic, please comment and give kudos- I love seeing your reactions and getting feedback! If you like this story, please hop over to my other fic series (in the same AU!), "Story Of Us"! <3 thanks again for reading!

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you again for your support! Comments and kudos are so appreciated:) If this made you sad, it's okay! Hop over to my [Story of Us](http://archiveofourown.org/series/658943) series for some same-universe fluffs of adult Klance being in love and gross.


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